Eddie Million certainly didn’t anticipate a visit from the Secret Service, when he hung an effigy of President Obama with a noose around its neck and hanging from a tree as a “Halloween decoration,” reports the New York Daily News.

The Moreno Valley, California resident insists that the hanging Obama was just a prank, something that was done in anticipation of an upcoming festive celebration at his home. Million now realizes that what he once thought was a brilliant idea, to hang a figure that sports an Obama mask he purchased at a clearance sale last year, was actually a dangerous dud of a notion.

After neighbors began to complain about seeing the hanging Obama effigy amongst zombies and headstones in Million’s yard, the story was leaked to local media.

On Monday, police investigators paid Million a visit to delve further into his little presidential-inspired prank.

“I started thinking how bad it looked, and I took it down immediately,” he told the Daily News. But it was too late, news of Million’s Halloween scare tactics made its way across the desks of Secret Service agents.

When agents arrived to pay Million an unannounced visit, he was cautioned that his little prank could have been taken as a threat to the President.

“They said my name is going to be on file,” said Million. “They said they’re just going to make a note.”

Would he put up his Halloween effigy prank had he known the Secret Service would have reprimanded him? Million told the Daily News:

“I absolutely wouldn’t have done it. It was not meant to offend anybody. It was just supposed to be a decoration.”